


A Truth So Loud

by Supertights



Category: New Warriors
Genre: Abandoned Work - Unfinished and Discontinued, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Asexual Character, Bisexual Character, By The Way I Hate This Title and Will Gladly Accept Suggestions For a New One, Headcanon, Hurt/Comfort, I Usually Just Delete Them, M/M, Mention of Dark Phoenix's Suicide on the Moon, Mention of Halloween, Mention of Inheritors, Mention of Penance, Mention of the Eternals, Mild Language, Minor Appearance by Selah Burke, Missing Scene, Not Beta Read, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Reports Coming In Are That The Author Is Weird And Has an Equally Weird Sense of Humour, Sickfic, Slice of Life, Slow Burn, That's the Fastest I Ever Abandoned a Work Based on Distinterest, Whump
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-12-06
Updated: 2018-11-10
Packaged: 2019-01-31 15:41:26
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 4,120
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12684855
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Supertights/pseuds/Supertights
Summary: Stories set between a small truck and worn out motel rooms, and a mountain that can go literally anywhere in the world, with entire floors to get lost in if they want. Robbie and Vance, Vance and Robbie.





	1. Chapter 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> If the Avengers and X-Men are fighting again, take a shot.

They’re in a small town a couple of hours outside of Kansas City when the Avengers go to war with the X-Men. Robbie turns on the television and sits at the end of the bed. His body leans towards the screen.

“This is bad,” he says softly. “Really bad.” Because it's always worse than what you see on the news. It’s what they don’t show you that you need to worry about.

“Worse than when Asgard fell?” asks Vance sleepily. He’s in bed trying to rest but the flickering light from the television is too intrusive. They’ve been on the road for months and this is the first chance he’s had to put his head down on a pillow and rest properly since Tuesday, or was it Wednesday? Now it’s Saturday and he’s running low on everything that keeps him moving. He longs for the sweet release that sleep brings, or would bring if Robbie turned off the television.

“Nothing is worse than seeing Gods die,” replies Robbie sharply, he’s tense; wound up tight like a spring. “We should go though, shouldn't we?”

Vance sighs, rising on one elbow to stare at Robbie's back. “Let’s be real here. There are _five_ phoenix inhabiting some of the most powerful mutants on the planet and everything almost ended with _one_ phoenix in an omega level mutant last time. We got to live because Jean Grey died by her own hand on the moon, around the time you were still in middle school. They’re going after Avengers bigger, smarter, and faster than us, and kicking their asses.” He yawns. “We shouldn’t rush into anything until we know more.”

Robbie looks back at him, his eyes are red and raw. “So you’re saying we should lay low?” His voice betrays his emotions because Robbie is Robbie and his emotions surrounding guilt are complex. “People are dying!”

“I didn’t say that, Rob, and no one is dead-- yet.” Vance makes a noise and burrows further into the bed. “Tomorrow. It’s only a few hours from now. We’re both tired and I can’t fight tired. I need to sleep, come to bed.”

Vance wants Robbie to come to bed because they sleep better together. Alone, Robbie will suffer nightmares and Vance will gather him up until he quiets and falls into a deeper sleep. Tonight, Robbie will suffer them anyway.

The television turns off and Robbie crawls down the bed, slipping under the covers. Robbie is always the big spoon and Vance doesn’t care enough to challenge it. He wraps himself around Vance’s back, the flat of his cheek against the nape of Vance’s neck, one hand worth of fingers splayed across Vance’s hip, his thumb rubbing slow anxious circles. Vance's fingers find his, lacing their hands together.

“Maybe you're right,” says Robbie, each word a puff of breath against Vance’s skin. “We'll take a fresh look at it tomorrow.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wake up. Kick ass. Repeat.

Vance doesn’t remember passing out shortly after the Eternals leave nor the journey back to Mount Wundagore.

He wakes up abruptly in his own bed. Shivering and feverish, he stutters out questions to Robbie, who is behind him; has he been sleeping in Robbie’s arms? They are alone and Robbie's long fingers gently comb Vance's hair back from his sweaty face. He answers Vance's barely comprehensible questions in a low and comforting voice. The nature, the shape of the words, elude Vance. He is too tired, too ill, to understand Robbie's replies.

But he feels safe; in Robbie’s arms he always feels safe.

Later, Vance recalls things randomly.

In the shower. _"It's Friday."_

As he makes a pot of coffee. _"We're_ _all okay."_

Silhouette telling him that Dwayne is back. _"Everyone is safe."_

During a training exercise. _"You're okay too, just a little sick, try and sleep."_

Attending Rage's private memorial, his arm around Robbie's shoulders, pulling him in. The shuddering of Rob's sobs against his chest. " _You're safe, no one here wants to hurt you."_

In bed, Robbie's arms around him, soft snores in his ear. _"I love you too."_

That's the one that stays with him longest. They rarely tell each other how much they mean to one another. He almost died. They all almost died. He told Rob how he felt and didn't remember.

After Robbie almost died.

He wonders if Robbie thinks about it as much as he does.

He's been cold since he dragged himself out of the shallow grave on Mount Everest. He’s seen doctors, been reassured there is no residual tissue damage, that his body temperature is nominal, but a chill has settled into his bones and won’t leave.

He pushed himself hard that day, used every bit of strength and will, forcing his powers to their very limits and beyond. He remembers very little of it in the days that immediately follow but memories return as nightmares and he has to ask Robbie what was real and what was just dream. Some of it, Rob just doesn't know.

They return together to the crater on Everest where Makkari buried him and find only the bodies of climbers who never escaped, trapped forever in the ice. They are a testament to the battle between man and mountain. A battle Vance seemingly fought and won though he doesn’t remember the details. Robbie looks around with wide eyes and then at him, mouth set in a grim line. It's not a comfortable moment, just how close they _all_ came that day. Death looming over their shoulders, breathing down their necks.

When they find a Starbucks knock off in Kathmandu, Robbie drags him in. No one blinks at two men wearing trapper hats and brightly coloured spandex, holding hands. 

"I love you," he whispers in Robbie's ear while they wait and is rewarded with a rare blush.

Robbie smiles, and, "I love you too."


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> If the Inhumans and the X-Men are fighting, take two shots.

It’s preyed on his mind since the run in with Fume, when Selah and Mark were abducted by Lash’s people in front of him. Inhaling the gas and panicking for a split second, then they were gone.

Was it Terrigen?

He still doesn’t know but his cells remain unaffected. Jake has checked them using The Evolutionary’s equipment. Hank McCoy has checked. Sue Storm has checked. He still worries.

Vance doesn’t want to feel so helpless again.

“I might know a guy who can help,” says Robbie slowly when Vance admits it out loud one night, which is why they end up at Leo Zelinsky’s shop on a Friday afternoon. Robbie sits and reads a magazine while Vance and Leo talk.

“A mask that can filter out gases, Terrigen mist specifically,” Vance murmurs, watching Leo sketch it out, he makes noises of approval at specific design features. "Something that will be automatic."

“I might have to outsource some of the finer engineering of this,” replies Leo patiently, the old man glances at Robbie thoughtfully. “ _He_ looks better. I did not want to make it, that armor-- it was like an iron maiden you see. He would have gone somewhere else though, if I had refused. I took great care to reduce the efficiency of the spikes inside, a painful scratch to make him think it was working, just enough but no more. Too young to carry such guilt, such pain.” It’s low, under his breath, aimed at Vance because it appears he doesn’t want Robbie to overhear.

Vance follows Leo’s look. Robbie has his earbuds in and is probably listening to one of his awful eighties synth playlists so he can’t hear anyway.

It clicks. The Penance Suit was a custom job too. Someone had to make it. _‘I might know a guy who can help.’_

He doesn’t know what to say. Robbie’s emotional progress is misleading and none of Leo’s business. Outwardly, Robbie seems cheerful, playful, a jokester again; but Aracely mentions Robbie’s dark shadows at odd moments and in Vance’s earshot. She doesn’t need to bother, he already knows Rob still struggles. The nightmares are testament to that.

“The mask?” Vance takes a photo of the sketch.

Leo gives him a long look over his glasses. “You realise that your entire uniform needs to be replaced. It’s hardly worth getting a gas mask when the mist can leak in through the fabric of your suit.”

“It’s made from unstable--”

A hand is held up in protest. “It won’t matter.”

He’d rather be safe than regret it later. “Fine. The entire suit.”

“Don’t worry, it will be tight. Your boyfriend will still notice.”

Vance feels his cheeks heat up. Robbie chooses that moment to look up and his eyebrow quirks at the blush, a smile sliding onto his lips. Oh yes, they will be talking about what made Vance blush later. “Okay,” he squeaks out, then coughs. “Uh, thank you?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Should I just stop? I'm thinking I should just stop. This was clearly a bad idea.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Life is about kicking ass, not kissing it. Might depend on the ass though.

He can’t open it-- his left eye, hasn’t tried again since he came around to discover that his right ulna is fractured when he pushes up from the ground and almost passes out again. He’s broken limbs before, the pain is unwelcome, as is the familiar feeling of his body going into shock. His left eye is-- not good. The pain is worse than anything he’s experienced, it threatens to pull him under every time the lid flutters in distress and that's all the time. He presses his other hand against it, to cover the wound if nothing else, effectively disarming himself in the process.

“Rob? Kaine?” he calls weakly at first, then stronger and more concerned with each repeat, vague groans begin to sound off around him. The area is a war zone of destroyed buildings and wreckage, smoke leaves a haze over everything that impairs his otherwise impaired visibility. They fought hard against... someone. He doesn't know who. And now he’s losing it, using their names and not their masked identities but he’s past caring. “Selah? Faira? Mark?”

Just one, that’s all he needs. Just one mature enough adult on the team to take over so he can pass out.

“That’s gonna scar,” says Robbie, appearing at his side, he gives Vance a lopsided smile that is wobbling with exhaustion and nerves. The blond is bruised and there's a thread of blood leaking from his mouth but otherwise he seems unscathed. “As usual, you broke bones while I bit my tongue.” Rob tries to ease Vance’s hand away from the eye but Vance ducks away. “Let me have a look.”

“Go check for the others, do a headcount. We got our asses handed to us, Rob, I need to know if anyone’s missing.”

“Ow.” Selah has crawled up beside them, she’s holding her side, cracked ribs maybe, and she’s bleeding from a cut above her right eyebrow that’s dripping blood down her face, one of her stabilisers is snapped in half, hanging askew by the wires inside. “Owwww.”

They’re all sitting ducks, any z-grade villain could pick them off without breaking a sweat.

Robbie hesitates for about a second then leans into Vance’s space. “Vance, I’m coming back in about two minutes to check on you. You’re in shock and Selah is just as wrecked.”

“Fuck you, blondie,” grunts Selah with no real heat. She puts out a hand. “Wait, pull me up, I can help. It’s just my ribs.”

“No--”

“Just do it! Learn to take the help when it's offered. I’ll be okay, just keep talking to me so I know where you are,” snarls Vance, he pulls his knees up tight, they wedge his broken arm against his body so he can't jar it. He hates this, hates being vulnerable, but he breathes through the pain as best he can and follows Robbie’s questions from the scene as he finds all but one.

Kaine is missing.

People begin to arrive. Police and emergency response workers swarm the area, asking questions none of them can answer.

He allows a young paramedic, younger than him anyway, to get him up on his feet but only after they’ve evacuated the rest of his team. He leans heavily on the woman as she leads him to her rescue truck and gets him to sit on the gurney in the back, slinging a blanket around his shoulders to quiet his shivers.

Oh, he forgot that he was in shock. The moment his focus relaxes, the pain becomes intolerable. “Where’s Rob-- Speedball?” 

The paramedic looks at him, head tilting slightly, eyes narrowing. "The skinny one with the blond hair?" She’s still assessing him, the broken arm is in a sling but he hasn't uncovered the eye for her yet. “He was over with the Avengers, talking to Captain America last I saw. Drop your hand for a second.” He complies, letting it fall to his lap, and she cuts away the mask parts of his uniform around his face. He tries not to read into her expression. “How did this happen? Was it from a penetrating trauma?” she asks.

He doesn’t think it was but he can’t recall the exact details, it happened too quickly, something slashing at his face. She covers his eye with a dressing, wrapping it securely.

“Lying down would be good about now,” she says, moving in closer to help him. “How’s your pain?”

“My pain is great, getting worse all the time.” Lying down is awkward with the broken arm. Even with help, he knocks it against something, a small gasp escapes his clenched lips. At least the bone isn’t through the skin like the last time. “Which one?” he asks absently, a little breathless.

“Which one? Which Captain America?" Her mouth curls into a smile. “Uh, the good looking one?”

"That could be any of them." Vance barks out a weak laugh as Robbie walks up and sits down next to her, bent over, resting his face in his hands, elbows on knees. He looks grim. She takes a look the blood on his mouth and chin, and points at it. He opens his mouth to show her the bite out of his tongue.

She winces with false sympathy. “You’ll live, hero. Make sure one of the doctors checks it though.”

“Thanks.” He pulls a face at her and while Vance can't see how she responds to that, Robbie grins so it's got to be something good. She continues working on Vance’s arm, asking him questions which he does his best to answer. She goes quiet for a minute or two, recording his responses.

Robbie fills the silence. “So no sign of Kaine, they took him is everyone’s best guess.” Robbie sighs dramatically. “How do you do this every day? This leader shtick sucks. Being responsible for stuff.”

“And yet you’re doing so well,” replies Vance kindly. It's no lie. Rob _is_ doing well.

“You need to get off the bus,” says the paramedic firmly, rising to shut the back door, gesturing him out. “Unless you’re family and if you’re calling yourself family, you can fill this in on the way.”

She shoves a clipboard and pen at him, clicking it assertively. Vance can tell Rob likes the way she gets in his face.

Robbie glances down at the page. “Boyfriend count as family? The old balls'n chain?” Robbie is chuckling at her and Vance is fairly certain she is still going to kick him out, emphasis on kick, when she shakes her head and pushes past to sit in the driver’s seat, calling in. The truck starts up a moment later and begins to move. “The better half? Significant other? The old man? The bae?”

Vance groans. “Stop, please, for my sake.”

Robbie’s eyes soften and he takes Vance’s unbroken hand in his, it's shaking for all his bravado, and presses his lips gently to the palm. “I'm sorry, ma chere, object of my erec--”

“I will literally push you out of a moving vehicle!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *grumble grumble*
> 
> Blink and you missed it reference to my new favourite fandom.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> [Insert name of superhero] was dead. They're alive again. Pass your shot to the right.

They meet for drinks, for the first time in forever. The old team, the originals, some of them anyway. It’s like this now. There’s always someone missing. Elvin is gone this time. Not missing. Dead. The youngest of them in the beginning. Now Sam is the youngest by the barest margin.

The bar is upstate, where maybe no one will recognise them. Dwayne arrives last, cellphone stuck to his ear. Angel is running late, an X-Men thing came up, she’ll be along if she can. It’s a lie but no one has the heart to judge her. Sil passes him a drink and he raises the glass immediately. They follow his lead; it’s so easy, falling back into the old routine.

“To not being dead?” suggests Robbie, mischief written in his face.

Dwayne purses his lips for a moment, irritation creasing his expression before it smooths back into neutral. “To friends gone but never forgotten. May their passing be as temporary as our own.” His eyes flick between Nova and Namorita and they share a grim smile.

Vance shares a look of his own with Robbie. The blond shrugs, he was dead in the papers for a few days as well, same disaster even. They finish that first drink in silence. It feels like a wake. Maybe it is, in a way.

The evening slowly pans out a lot like old times though; Rich begging poverty when it’s his round or worse producing alien cash that looks like toy money; Nita rolling her eyes and fighting Dwayne to buy pizza and wings and beer; Dwayne picking anchovies and olives off the pizzas and flicking them at Rich with deadly accuracy; Sil and Robbie arm wrestling for the last buffalo wing; Vance matching Nita shot for shot in a drinking game they invented when they lived together.

“We’re getting some air,” says Nita eventually, slapping a hand down on the table. She stands and drags Vance outside. It’s cold, not quite winter yet but close. She doesn’t feel it though, Atlanteans are made for the fierce depths of the ocean and this is just a little surface chill. Vance makes a sad noise and shivers, rubs at his arms. His coat is back in the bar. She pulls him into a bear hug. “I missed you, Supertights.”

She holds him at length when he doesn’t reply immediately. Hurt but curious.

“Just… gimme a second, Nita.” He’s spent years thinking about his dead friends, never allowed to forget them by an unforgiving world and his own conscience; he wanted nothing less than for them to walk back into his life, resurrected like Thor or Captain America. Even Bucky came back for fucks sake. “It goes without saying but don’t die again. Please. Missed you doesn’t even begin to cover it.”

Nita’s expression is thoughtful and decidedly sober, they haven’t had remotely enough alcohol yet. “I remember now, you get _sad_ when we do shots.”

“It’s a mutant thing?” He wipes the moisture from his eyes and sighs.

“Sure,” she agrees and gives him a pass this one time because she’s part of the cause.

“Rob says I’m too uptight, it’s going to give me an ulcer.” Vance chuckles under his breath. “Like this new team hasn’t given me one already.”

“Hmm, speaking of, I never picked you two as a couple.” She says it shyly, like he’ll react badly. Nita is many things but shy has never been one of them. Vance smiles so she can see that he’s fine with the line of conversation. “Rob is so--” She holds up a hand and makes a vague gesture. He understands perfectly. “--Rob.”

Vance huffs a laugh. “I wouldn’t have either. Until it happened. He softens my edges I think. Lightens me up a bit, that’s not to say he doesn’t annoy the fuck out of me sometimes. I worry about the darkness he tries to hide from me, I mean, you’re lucky, you never saw that side of him.” Vance hesitates for a second but then, “I’m-I’m not sure what I give him in return, Nita. He doesn’t seem _un_ happy but--” He frowns, a wrinkle between his eyebrows, concerned.

She pats his arm. “You worry too much.”

“You forgot something, Honey Bunch,” says Robbie, appearing behind them and scaring a scream out of both. He’s carrying a coat and wraps it around Vance’s shoulders. “Don’t stay out here too long, it’s too cold.” The blond trudges towards the bar, then stops for a moment and looks back. Robbie’s eyes shimmer in the blinking lights of the neon bar sign, his grin is raw. “What do you give me in return? Vance, you give me everything you have. Like _everything_ everything! No one else gets what I get.” He ducks his head and retreats inside.

Nita snorts. “Oh bro, he is so gone.” Looping her arm through Vance's and they begin the walk back to the bar after Robbie. “You are so boned, you know that right?” Nita lived with him, she knows Vance better than most. Knew he was ace before he even knew that was a truth. “Do you love our little Toothpick?”

Vance gives her a horrified look. “I think-- oh no, I think I do.” He shoves his hands into the pockets of the coat, it's Robbies, and he withdraws his hand as if burned. And attempts to forget the shape of the small box inside.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aw no! Wait what was that? *never refers to "it" again because she's HORRIBLE*


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's all fun and games until someone releases [insert terrifying creatures].
> 
> Disclaimer: No [terrifying creatures] were harmed in the making of this fictional recreation.

The invite to the annual Avengers Halloween party was a surprise, mostly because the team were in eastern Europe in an almost invisible mountain base, also because mail had been intermittent to non-existent, but mostly because Tony Stark seemed to hate them on principle. Aracely had answered the door and found it on their equivalent of a stoop along with the vaguest hint of ozone. "Mail!" she shrieked, delivering it into Vance's hands.

"To the New New New New New Warriors," mused Vance, running his fingers lightly over the embossed print on fine crisp white card stock.

" _Someone_ thinks they're funny." Robbie's chin rested on Vance's shoulder as he peered over to see. "For the record, not funny."

"It's a little funny." Vance turned it over in his hands.

Aracely danced around them. "Open it. Open it. _Open it!_ "

The contents of the envelope unexpectedly exploded when he sliced it open and Vance was showered in tiny glittering bats. "I should've expected that," he said, coughing. "You are cordially invited to a Halloween event for all ages..." He glanced at Robbie, who waggled his eyebrows up and down, and brushed a bat off Vance's cheek. "Costume dress is required."

Jake started howling in concert with the noise Aracely made.

Robbie began to pick the bats out of Vance's hair while musing that he hadn't expected a return invitation to Avengers HQ after Vance threw his ID card at _Captain America_ , missing spectacularly. He would never accept that Vance hadn't intended more than slapping it down on the table with emphasis. His opinion since then had been of that they were both persona non grata for the rest of their natural lives, even though they defeated invading evil and saved Thor, yada, yada, yada.

That Vance had regular meetings with old Cap, not to be confused with his former young old self, was beside the point. Robbie hadn't stepped foot back in there, hadn't wanted to either. Until now.

Aracely held out her hands and Robbie deposited the glitter bats into them. She spun away with glee, flinging them at her teammates randomly while rasping, "I'm Batman!"

 

"Imma be a cowboy," Robbie announced to Vance later, as they began the trek back to their room. He ignored the curious glances from his boyfriend, and tapped a search into his phone for costume hire stores in the local area, only to find them few and far between in rural Transia. "We need to move the mountain to Sacramento please," he asked loudly to the air, hoping that Jake was listening. "Best costume place in America is supposed to be in Sacramento."

"Why a cowboy?" asked Vance, frowning a little. "I feel there's a joke in there somewhere I'm missing."

"I'm sure it'll come to you in a second."

Mount Wundagore shuddered for a moment and Jake's gruff voice came over the intercom. _"We have arrived in Sacramento."_

Robbie could see the physical pain on Vance's face not to ask if they had actually landed _on_ Sacramento and just couldn't hear the screaming yet, or were slightly out of phase and couldn't hear the screaming yet. "Do you think I could get away with ass-less chaps?" he asked casually.

Vance choked and looked at him wide eyed. "What?"

"Never mind, not important." He leaned in, body pressed up to Vance's side, his hand resting lightly between Vance's shoulder blades. "Save a horse, babe," he whispered softly into Vance's ear. "Save a horse."

**Author's Note:**

> New Warriors fandom, why can't I quit you?


End file.
